A false sense of security...

The Book of Nehemiah is one of my favorites in the Old Testament. When we read the Old Testament, it is important to remember that it serves multiple purposes. The greatest is providing our history
prior to the arrival of Christ. Old Testament prophets constantly warned of Israel’s rebellious nature, God’s punishment, and the coming of the Messiah.
Unfortunately, the children of God were both hard headed and spiritually blind. They refused to see Truth. They paid the cost repeatedly.

Nehemiah wept over the current condition
of his nation. He wept that God’s people lay bare, unprotected since the walls and gates were destroyed. In the Old Testament, walls around a city were believed to be the ultimate protection. Nehemiah rebuilt the wall despite nagging harassment. Some
see it as an example of faith. Others see it as a lesson in futility. The wall wasn’t the solution for Israel’s rebellion and pride. Nehemiah attempted to solve a spiritual problem with a physical barrier.

Again, unfortunately, the Old Testament history proves both the children of Israel were not protected by a wall nor was the city of Jericho. Their walls came tumbling down.

I believe we’ve reached a point in our nation that immigration has become more dangerous than beneficial. Of course, that is easy for me to say since I sit on this side of the barbed-wire fences. It is obvious that others continue to see America
as the land of opportunity – land of the free; home of the brave. I think it is unfortunate that we, just as those in the Old Testament, have decided that a wall dividing us from “them” will serve as the needed protection. Again, if we truly
believe the bible, we will understand that barricades only embolden the opposing side and human trafficking will increase. Ask Israel. Ask Germany.

This is one time I agree with our President.
It is time for us to close the Southern borders only allowing those with work visas to commute. It is time not for a wall, but for a solution. Until the solution can be found, I believe it is safer for everyone to stop the madness.

If any of us believe that a wall will only cost five billion dollars, we are more gullible than I ever imagined. The wall will cost a great deal more and it is glaringly obvious Mexico is not going to pay a peso. The solution to
our problem is an extensive overhaul of our immigration laws and processes. The wall is a campaign promise; not a viable solution. Like Nehemiah, our insistence on a wall will be an example of faith for some and a lesson in futility for most.

Pray for solutions. Please. Let’s not tell God what to do. Let’s seek His face and ask Him to move beyond the walls – physical and spiritual – that we’ve constructed in our own
minds.

“Do not be stiff-necked, as your ancestors were; submit to the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 30:8